GOP Insiders Disappointed with Freddy Already?

From today's Evans-Novak Political Report weekly "insider" email, Bob "Plamegate" Novak reports on a growing sense of unease within the GOP establishment about the 'yet-to-be-official' Fred Thompson presidential campaign:

Far more troubling are the fears among Republicans that there is less to Thompson than meets the eye. He could still seize the nomination and prove a disappointing candidate in the general election. In appearances across the country, from New Hampshire to South Carolina, his speeches have ranged from "pretty decent" to "quite underwhelming." He has not yet had the knock-out performance he will need in order to prove that he is worthy of frontrunner status.

Who might they turn to next, if Thompson continues to "underwhelm?"

Could Thompson pay the biggest political price for the Libby Liberation? Today's Boston Globe examines Freddy's self-proclaimed role as a "leaker" in the Watergate hearings. Will the country recoil from Thompson's partisanship? If the MSM is correct and the American electorate wants to move past all this bickering, Thompson's star may fade just as quickly as it burst onto the scene this year.